Spinal Cord Stimulator Reduces Debilitating Pain and Helps Woman Celebrate Family Events

Being married for 37 years, raising six children, enjoying eight grandchildren and caring for 30 foster kids — family is an important part of Miriam Palevsky’s life. “Blood doesn't make family,” says Miriam, a 56-year-old from South Euclid.

Although Miriam has many medical issues — degenerative disc disease, facet joint disease and end stage liver disease — they didn’t slow her down with her family. “I never remember a time when I wasn’t in pain or trying different medical treatments or having surgeries,” recalls Miriam.

But, in 2022, Miriam was diagnosed with severe adhesive arachnoiditis, a rare, incurable pain disorder caused by inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surrounds and protects the nerves of the spinal cord. The inflammation was centered around her lower back but the excruciating pain spread from her back to upper buttocks, right hip and leg. She couldn’t stand or sit and was bedridden.

“I went from walking eight miles a day, getting on the floor to play with my grandkids and doing aerobics to doing nothing at all but lying in bed,” says Miriam.

Miriam joined a few arachnoiditis support groups on social media where she read about a Cleveland Clinic physician who specializes in arachnoiditis and decided to schedule an appointment with him since she receives all of her medical care at Cleveland Clinic.

“When Miriam first came to see me she was in a motorized wheelchair and in extreme pain,” says Jijun Xu, MD, PhD, a pain management physician at Cleveland Clinic. “After I evaluated her and she went through some testing, I decided that an implanted spinal cord stimulator was a great option to reduce Miriam’s pain.”

“Miriam felt an immediate, incredible difference in her pain level with the spinal cord stimulator.”

In June 2022, a temporary device that delivers electrical signals was implanted near her lower back area in order to stop pain signals from reaching the brain. The stimulation intensity is adjustable. The device works 24/7 and needs to be recharged every two to three days.

“Miriam felt an immediate, incredible difference in her pain level with the spinal cord stimulator,” says Dr. Xu.

With the stimulator, Miriam could walk, sit, sleep and even play with her grandchildren.

Because of the success, the device was permanently implanted in September 2022 and brought her approximately 70 to 80% pain relief.

“I really love Miriam as a patient. She was willing to trust me and try the spinal cord stimulator. It was uplifting to see how the greatly decreased pain let her get back to her family. That meant a lot to me,” says Dr. Xu.

In January 2023, Miriam and her husband took their first road trip in years — driving seven hours to a family member’s bar mitzvah in New Jersey. “I’m so thankful for Dr. Xu. He was empathetic and understood the type of pain I have and worked to find a solution for me so I could rejoin my family and the world,” says Miriam.